Display device



April 13, 1937. R KN|pp 2,076,784

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Oct. 9, 1956 2 Shets-Sheet l April 13, 1937.

Filed Oct. 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 13, 1937 PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY DEVICE.

Arthur R. Knipp, Napoleon, Ohio, assignor of one-half to T. W. Hahn, Napoleon, Ohio Application October 9,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of displaying articles for inspection and observation. The invention particularly relates to a device for displaying articles, such as merchandise oifered for sale, whereby a view of all sides of the article from substantially a great variety of angles is offered to even a casual observer. The invention, therefore, provides a device which serves to stimulate the interest of potential purchasers of merchandise, thereby constituting a material 5 posed and means for causing said member to move. Another object of my invention is to provide means, independent of the member moving means, for limiting the movement of said member at not greater than certain adjustable predetermined speeds. V

The invention has for another object to provide a pneumatic power driving means and a reactant pneumatic means spaced from and independent of the first-named pneumatic means for causing movement of the display supporting member, aforesaid. A further object of the invention is to provide, by the action of the firstnamed pneumatic means, for circulating the atmosphere about the device. Thus, when the device is installed in a display window, it prevents the deposition of moisture on the windows to produce window steaming or frosting and curtailing observation. A still further object of the invention is to provide, in the reactant pneumatic means, elementswhich serve to mask the first-named pneumatic means from sight thereby lending a pleasing appearance to the device without the use of extraneous parts and material. Said reactant pneumatic means is further available as a support on which readily observable signs and advertisement of limited dimension may be placed. p

The invention has for a particular object to provide a display device having an article supporting rotatable member which is driven and caused to rotate by a current of air induced by a blower unit, the speed of rotation of the member being adjustably limited by an independent means so that said speed may be maintained regardless of the changing weight of the air due to atmospheric changes therein. A further particular object of the invention is to provide a display device of exceeding simplicity and adaptability and low cost of operation.

The invention consists in other features and 1936, Serial No. 104,769

advantages which will appear from the following description and upon examination of the drawings. Structures containing the invention may partake of difierent forms and still embody the invention. To illustrate. a practical application of the invention, I have selected a display deviceas an example of the various structures and details thereof that contain the in.- vention and shall describe the selected structure hereinafter, it being understood that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of. the invention. The particular structure selected is shown in the accompanying drawe ings and described hereinafter. Y I H Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. illustrates a perspective view of a display device selected for purposes of illustration and embodying the featuresof 'my invention. Fig. 2 illustrates a view of a cross section of the display device illustrated in Fig. 1., Fig. 3 illustrates an enlarged viewof an embodiment of means for limiting the speed of movement of the article supporting member of the display device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates a view of a section taken on the plane of the line 4-4 indicated in Fig. 3.

A display device embodying the features of my invention has a supporting base I which may be provided with decorative sustaining legs 2. A suitable upright pedestal 3 extends upwardly from the base land is adapted to rotatably support an article supporting membe 5 in a manner well known to the art.

The member 5 may be discular in shape and. have an upper surface 6 tastily finished and on which an article; such as a shoe, diagrammatical ly indicated at 8, in Fig. l, may be displayed. The under surface I of the-member 5 is provided with a plurality of depending louvres or blades Ill.

The blades III are of elongated shape and extend from the periphery of the surface I in a direction parallel to the axis of the pedestal 3 and for a distance but slightly less than the height of the pedestal. The blades are disposed in sequence and in close proximity to each other thus substantially forming amask or shield of the parts disposed on the base and on the under side of the member a 5 and contributing materially to the sightliness of the device without the use of extraneous parts or materials, as when installed in a display window. If desired, a suitable plaque 9 the accompanying drawings. The blades II) are current of air by the fan II and its directing the same toward and against the blades III, the member 5 will be caused to rotate carrying with it and. displaying to an observer. an article, such 1 as the shoe 8, from a variety of angles. 5 The atw mosphere'surrounding the device is put into motion by the current of air induced by the fan H.

The movement of the atmosphere tends .to pre-.-

vent the deposition of moisture on asurface such as that of a display window behind which the device may be located withthe resultant steaming or frosting of said surface. I v V It is further in the contemplation "of my in ventionto provide an adjustable means for lim iting the speed of rotation of the member 5.1 Said means is independentio'f the blades ill and the fan I I to directly control thespeed of' the member 5. It has been noted that when the fatmosp heric conditions are such as to -be heavy with moisture, the fan ll exerts agreater pres; sure against the blades I0 tendingto1 drive the member 5 faster thangwhen the, atmosphere is light. and dry. Consequently, variations 'in speed of rotation of the member 5, without the inclusion of the means provided by my invention, result upon corresponding' 'atmospheric changes, Said means comprises aroller tread member [5 bearing on and driven by the member 5 and 40 mounted on a shaft is: which carries members adapted to exert a frictional resistance to the rotation of the shaft above that of a predetermined limitation. v a Particularly, in the structure illustrated in the drawings, the shaft I6 is rotatably mounted in a C-shaped bracket I1 which is pivotally supported, as at I9, on a bracket arm J8 aflixed, preferably, to the pedestal 3 in any suitable manner., The bracket l1 so disposes the shaft l6 and the roller tread member l5 that said member' I 5 bears against a track 20 on the member 5.*The track 20 may beformed of sheet-metal and depend from the surface I of the member 5 to which a flange 2| of said track may be connected by suitable-screws 22. Thus, when'the member-Q 551s caused to rotate, the tread: member l5 causes rotationof the shaft; l5 Ifjdesir'ed, ya suitable spring'24 maybe-connected atone' o'fjiits ends to the bracket l and at its other end tothe arm 18 so as to exert a resilient' pressure. about the pivot [9 to yieldingly hold the tread member 15 against the track 20. 1,

The frictional members mounted on the shaft l6 preferably comprise a pair of ar'ms 25if. 'I'he arms 25 are 'pivotally supported, as at 28;, on and depend in a direction substantially parallel 'to the axis of the shaft I6, from a cross piecef2'l keyed to the shaft l6. Thus, when the shaft is rotated,.the arms 25 move about their respective pivots 26 away from the shaft I6 due tothe in which the arms 25 are suspended and adapted to rotate. The member 30 has bracket arms 3| which are ,adjustably connected, as by the bolt and wing nut 32 to the bracket l'l enabling disfrictionally bear against the member- Jlwith a' pressure that increases with increases in shaft 7 rotation speed whereby an increased braking ac-.

tion islexerted through the tread member l5 on the member 5. When it is desired to vary the limitation of. speed established by the relation vice. I have eliminated much ,of the mechanical parts commonly used and in devices .of this char acter the carefand maintenance of'which requires.

skill andinvolvesfconsiderable expense. I have further eliminated extraneous, decorative parts that perform no useful function and have thus furtherreduced the: 'co'stllof' production of, devices or the'character referredito; I'havfe provided for? other features and advantages andha-ve described the best form of my invention nowknown tome within th e spirit of my inventionas set forth in the claims appended hereto, Iclaim'i I 1 .1. A display device a base, an upright pedestal extending upwardlyfrom said basera member rotatably mountedon the pedestal and having a surface for supporting and displaying an article, an air blower unit supported on the base. a; plurality of elongated blades mounted-on a surface of the member opposite to the article supporting surface thereof, each blade disposed in closely spaced sequenceto its neighbor about the periphery. of said second named surface and extending parallel to the axis of thepedestal for a Y distance but slightly less than the height of the pedestal and forming a mask. for the blower unit and a means reactant to the air pressure developed by said blower unit whereby the member maybe relation to thearm and adapted to -be frlctionally engaged therebywhen the armismoved; through an angle greater than. a certain predetermined angle to brake the speed of rotation of, the rotatable part and the display supporting member;

-2. A display-devicefhaving a base, an upright pedestal extending upwardly from said -base,; a

member rotatably mounted on the pedestal and having a surface for'supporting and displaying an article-,'an air blower unit supported-on the base, a plurality of elongated blades mounted on a surface of the member opposite to the article supporting surface thereof, each blade disposed in closely spaced sequence to its neighbor about the periphery of said second namedsurface and'extending parallel to the axis of thepedestal for a distance but slightlyless than the height of the pedestal and forming a mask for the blower unit and a means reactant to the air pressure developed by said blower unit whereby the member may be caused to rotate.

3. A display device having a movable article supporting member, means for producing a pneumatic pressure, means reactant to a pneumatic pressure depending from said member and forming a sight mask of said first named means 10 whereby said member may be caused to move and 15 fixed part against which the movable part frictionally bears with a pressure dependent on the speed of movement of the member to automati-' cally brake the speed of said member and limit the same to a predetermined speed.

4. A display device having a base, an upright pedestal extending upwardly from said base, a member rotatably mounted on the pedestal and having a surface for supporting and displaying an article, an air blower unit supported on the base, a plurality of elongated blades mounted on a surface of the member opposite to the article supporting surface thereof and forming means reactant' to the air pressure developed by said blower unit, means independent of said blades and blower unit for limiting the speed of rotation of the member comprising a shaft, a tread roller keyed to said shaft and disposed in operative driving relation to said member, an arm pivotally supported on said shaft and normally extending parallel to the axis of said shaft and adapted to move angularly about its pivot to an extent corresponding with the speed of rotation of the shaft, and a part having a surface located in spaced relation to the arm when in said normal position and adapted to be engaged when the speed of rotation of the shaft reaches a predetermined magnitude to thereby brake the speed of rotation of said shaft and of the member.

ARTHUR R. KNIPP. 

